Back on the business stage: India and West Indies set up virtual QF, Abhishek shines

CHENNAI: Everything went according to plan for India on this day, starting with South Africa’s comfortable victory over West Indies in Ahmedabad earlier in the day. The result smoothed the rough edges of Super 8 Group 1 and meant India only had to win their remaining matches to safely book a semi-final spot. Facing a team like Zimbabwe who were not quite ready for such a big stage, Suryakumar’s boys did what was necessary. With thousands of mobile phones flashing in the stands of the MA Chidambaram Stadium, India’s campaign got back on track with a 72-run victory and a direct ‘quarter-final’ clash with West Indies at the Eden Gardens on Sunday.Push boundaries with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!A pleasant evening breeze blew over the Chebauk River, and the fans’ carnival never stopped. They have their reasons. well-loved Abhishek Sharma Back in some form with a 30-ball 55, new CSK signing Sanju Samson smashed a quick 24 and the entire middle order had some good knocks against the batting beauty. Zimbabwe did make things easier for India, though. From opting to bowl after winning the toss, to bowling out pedestrian pacers in the Powerplay, to conceding wickets at crucial moments, the African minnows are exactly the team India hoped for at this stage of the tournament.

By the end, they kept giving lollipops to the yorkers but were hit by 17 sixes in the process. The total score of 256/4 is easily India’s highest score in a T20 World Cup, surpassing their previous best of 218. This was well beyond Zimbabwe’s capabilities and they didn’t seem too interested in the chase. Instead, Zimbabwe opted to bowl out 20 overs and gain some big-stage experience against top bowlers. Right-hand opener Brian Bennett (97 not out off 54 balls) had a quality innings that might put him in good stead against other opponents on other days. But now Zimbabwe has reached the end of the road.Despite the quality of the opposition, Team India had to emerge victorious and all eyes were on the opening partnership of Sanju and Abhishek.The southpaw has been out of form so far and has not been tested against off-spin, his nemesis in the tournament so far, and in the Powerplay, he took advantage of that.

The blitz, though, was started by Samson, who smashed a six off the back-foot of left-arm pacer Richard Ngarava at mid-off. Tested with the short ball in three weeks — he hit some, too — but fell into similar pitches. However, with 48 runs in 3.4 overs, he has done his job.After that, it was Abhishek’s turn to prove that the hard work he put in at the Nets on Tuesday will pay off. The southpaw kept his head still and made no attempt to anticipate his strikes. He also didn’t show off his stump to the pacers or charge down the track. Instead, he maintains his shape, stays within his crease, and looks to hit the ball straight. Of course, there was nothing really challenging about Zimbabwe’s attack, but the Punjab cricketer kept his end of the bargain.The crowd erupted in cheers and the chants of “Abhishek, Abhi-shek” grew louder as his beautiful and crisp shots kept the scoreboard racing. Although India rushed 80 balls in the Powerplay, Abhishek’s half-century, off 28 balls, was his second slowest in T20Is. Abhishek doesn’t mind the occasional boundary (4×4, 4×6) rather than always looking to overstep and power. He was so deft on the field that India breathed a sigh of relief.

Skipper Sikandar Raza, who is better known as Zimbabwe, bowled just six spinners. He himself did not fulfill his quota despite dismissing Ishan Kishan while the other two shared three. They gave up 56 goals — just over nine — to the Pacers’ between 10 and 20 goals.Batting at No. 6, Hardik (50 off 23 balls) and Tilak (44 off 16 balls) found themselves back on track. But things could get tougher ahead.